10 Most Evil TV Presenters
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VOICE OVER: David Foster
WRITTEN BY: Aidan Johnson
From beloved entertainers to notorious criminals, British television has seen its share of presenters who betrayed public trust. Join us as we examine the dark side of UK broadcasting, where fame and influence masked sinister activities. These individuals went from household names to society's shame. Our countdown includes former BBC stars, daytime TV hosts, and children's entertainers whose careers ended in disgrace. From exploitation of vulnerable people to criminal convictions, these cases shocked the nation and changed British television forever.
10 Most Evil TV Presenters
Welcome to WatchMojoUK, today were counting down our picks for the most nefarious presenters in British television history.
Jeremy Kyle
For years, Kyle was a staple of daytime television. He became infamous for creating an immensely hostile environment, where hed humiliate vulnerable people experiencing hardships. Kyle acted like he was solving their problems, but it was all for the sake of entertainment. This modern-day form of human bear-baiting came to an end in 2019, when guest Steve Dymond was so broken by his appearance that he took his own life soon after. One contributing factor was that he failed a lie detector test, which was frequently used despite little to no evidence of their accuracy. Now Kyle is widely perceived as a bully, who cared little for his guests well-being.
Russell Brand
One of Essexs most famous actors has been in the news quite a lot during the 2020s, but not for anything positive. He rose to fame as a comedian, then a presenter of Big Brothers Big Mouth, and finally achieved international fame in the late 2000s. Currently, his career is almost entirely locked to YouTube, where he has a cult following who will defend him no matter what. As youre probably aware, hes been the target of a massive investigation, with multiple women claiming Brand abused them. Of course, he denies all this, using his Christianity as his primary defence.
Dave Lee Travis
While he was primarily a DJ, Travis presented quite a few programs before Operation Yewtree in 2012. Top of the Pops is probably the most famous, but he was also recognized for hosting A Jolly Good Show for 20 years. In the wake of Jimmy Saviles death, a staggering amount of British public figures were accused of abominable crimes. One such individual was Travis, who was given a three-month prison sentence in 2014 for indecent assault. This almost completely ended his career, although he briefly hosted a Saturday show on United DJs Radio, which closed in 2021.
Peter Rowell
Our next entry was predominant in the West of England, working as an announcer for HTV West, also known as ITV West Country. His earliest controversy was making indecent comments about Princess Diana just after her death. Rowells career took a turn for the worse in 2011, when he was arrested and subsequently charged with indecent assault. Most of his crimes took place in the 80s and 90s, most targeted younger women. This got Rowell sentenced to six years in prison in 2012, which seems to be the last anyones heard about him.
Fred Talbot
Decades ago, Talbot used to be an adored figure on This Morning, where he did their weather on a floating map at Liverpool docks. The highlight was every time he jumped across from Great Britain to Ireland, so popular it usually had a crowd cheering him on. Now, no ones cheering for Talbot after he was sentenced to prison in the mid-2010s. He was charged with ten counts of indecent sexual assault, getting him sent to the slammer until 2019. The majority of his crimes were committed while he was a teacher in the 70s, a career which already ended in 1984 after making gross comments towards children. It makes you wonder if ITV ever did background checks back then.
Stuart Hall
Hall was a prolific BBC news presenter about half a century ago, alongside presenting Its a Knockout. Like most presenters on this list, his career ended around 2012 because of allegations of abuse. These all took place between 1967 and 1991, which he was found guilty of in 2013, then subsequently imprisoned. Not for long though, he got out in 2015, just in time for Christmas. Hall gave an interview in 2016 about his experiences, the last time he was in the public eye. Apparently, BBC staff had been well aware of his vile desires, but like many disgraced icons of the time, he was too popular for them to do anything.
Steve Kish
Also known as Sizzlin Steve, Kish is most well known for partly presenting CBBCs Officially Amazing. It ran for 3 seasons starting in 2013, focusing on interesting and peculiar records from all over Earth. Initially, the show was primarily positive, being fun and educational for children. Unfortunately, the show was ruined when Kish was convicted of having heinous tastes in canines. Hed be spared prison by judges in 2021, but was still found guilty, sentenced to community service, with his reputation ruined. Now he seems to have entirely given up presenting, with him unlikely to ever return to the profession.
Rolf Harris
Now one of the most hated men in Britain, Harris used to be massively idolized in the UK. He was held in such high regard he even painted a portrait of the Queen for her 80th birthday. In 2023, Harris finally died due to natural causes at the age of 93. His final years were spent mostly at home, minimizing public appearances as much as possible. Harris was debatably the most famous target of Operation Yewtree, which resulted in him being sent to 5 years imprisonment. All his honors were revoked, with all his TV appearances now mostly lost to history, something few are upset about.
Jimmy Savile
Is there a British man more hated than Savile became after his death? Now, its harder to find someone who remembers how he was perceived before his death. For decades, he was one of the most prolific figures on the BBC, most famous for hosting Top of the Pops and Jimll Fix It. Now, hes only seen on television when hes being demonized, and for good reason. Despite extensive charity work, behind the scenes, he was one of the most vile people the BBC ever employed. There were indeed allegations made during his lifetime, but they were all suppressed by the BBC and his closest circle.
To lighten the mood, who do you think is the most heartwarming presenter on TV? Let us know in the comments section!
Welcome to WatchMojoUK, today were counting down our picks for the most nefarious presenters in British television history.
Jeremy Kyle
For years, Kyle was a staple of daytime television. He became infamous for creating an immensely hostile environment, where hed humiliate vulnerable people experiencing hardships. Kyle acted like he was solving their problems, but it was all for the sake of entertainment. This modern-day form of human bear-baiting came to an end in 2019, when guest Steve Dymond was so broken by his appearance that he took his own life soon after. One contributing factor was that he failed a lie detector test, which was frequently used despite little to no evidence of their accuracy. Now Kyle is widely perceived as a bully, who cared little for his guests well-being.
Ben Thomas
If youre from Wales, you might be familiar with presenter Ben Thomas, who used to work on Wales Today and Ffeil. This career came to an end in 2019, when he was arrested for abusing both adults and children. Thomas was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison, perpetrating his first crimes in 1990 and his last in 2019. He even became a pastor at one point, a position he exploited to commit even more atrocious crimes. Thomas crimes finally caught up with him at age 44, ruining his career as both a pastor and a presenter for good.Russell Brand
One of Essexs most famous actors has been in the news quite a lot during the 2020s, but not for anything positive. He rose to fame as a comedian, then a presenter of Big Brothers Big Mouth, and finally achieved international fame in the late 2000s. Currently, his career is almost entirely locked to YouTube, where he has a cult following who will defend him no matter what. As youre probably aware, hes been the target of a massive investigation, with multiple women claiming Brand abused them. Of course, he denies all this, using his Christianity as his primary defence.
Dave Lee Travis
While he was primarily a DJ, Travis presented quite a few programs before Operation Yewtree in 2012. Top of the Pops is probably the most famous, but he was also recognized for hosting A Jolly Good Show for 20 years. In the wake of Jimmy Saviles death, a staggering amount of British public figures were accused of abominable crimes. One such individual was Travis, who was given a three-month prison sentence in 2014 for indecent assault. This almost completely ended his career, although he briefly hosted a Saturday show on United DJs Radio, which closed in 2021.
Peter Rowell
Our next entry was predominant in the West of England, working as an announcer for HTV West, also known as ITV West Country. His earliest controversy was making indecent comments about Princess Diana just after her death. Rowells career took a turn for the worse in 2011, when he was arrested and subsequently charged with indecent assault. Most of his crimes took place in the 80s and 90s, most targeted younger women. This got Rowell sentenced to six years in prison in 2012, which seems to be the last anyones heard about him.
Fred Talbot
Decades ago, Talbot used to be an adored figure on This Morning, where he did their weather on a floating map at Liverpool docks. The highlight was every time he jumped across from Great Britain to Ireland, so popular it usually had a crowd cheering him on. Now, no ones cheering for Talbot after he was sentenced to prison in the mid-2010s. He was charged with ten counts of indecent sexual assault, getting him sent to the slammer until 2019. The majority of his crimes were committed while he was a teacher in the 70s, a career which already ended in 1984 after making gross comments towards children. It makes you wonder if ITV ever did background checks back then.
Stuart Hall
Hall was a prolific BBC news presenter about half a century ago, alongside presenting Its a Knockout. Like most presenters on this list, his career ended around 2012 because of allegations of abuse. These all took place between 1967 and 1991, which he was found guilty of in 2013, then subsequently imprisoned. Not for long though, he got out in 2015, just in time for Christmas. Hall gave an interview in 2016 about his experiences, the last time he was in the public eye. Apparently, BBC staff had been well aware of his vile desires, but like many disgraced icons of the time, he was too popular for them to do anything.
Steve Kish
Also known as Sizzlin Steve, Kish is most well known for partly presenting CBBCs Officially Amazing. It ran for 3 seasons starting in 2013, focusing on interesting and peculiar records from all over Earth. Initially, the show was primarily positive, being fun and educational for children. Unfortunately, the show was ruined when Kish was convicted of having heinous tastes in canines. Hed be spared prison by judges in 2021, but was still found guilty, sentenced to community service, with his reputation ruined. Now he seems to have entirely given up presenting, with him unlikely to ever return to the profession.
Rolf Harris
Now one of the most hated men in Britain, Harris used to be massively idolized in the UK. He was held in such high regard he even painted a portrait of the Queen for her 80th birthday. In 2023, Harris finally died due to natural causes at the age of 93. His final years were spent mostly at home, minimizing public appearances as much as possible. Harris was debatably the most famous target of Operation Yewtree, which resulted in him being sent to 5 years imprisonment. All his honors were revoked, with all his TV appearances now mostly lost to history, something few are upset about.
Jimmy Savile
Is there a British man more hated than Savile became after his death? Now, its harder to find someone who remembers how he was perceived before his death. For decades, he was one of the most prolific figures on the BBC, most famous for hosting Top of the Pops and Jimll Fix It. Now, hes only seen on television when hes being demonized, and for good reason. Despite extensive charity work, behind the scenes, he was one of the most vile people the BBC ever employed. There were indeed allegations made during his lifetime, but they were all suppressed by the BBC and his closest circle.
To lighten the mood, who do you think is the most heartwarming presenter on TV? Let us know in the comments section!
